Gov. Bill Lee, left, is joined by state Rep. William Lamberth, right, who pushed to upgrade the Tennessee financial responsibility law of 1977 with the “eye of Sauron” program that he was confident would be used fraudulently by the department of revenue, just as the safety department had been misusing section 139 of TFRL since 2002. (Photo governor’s office)
From left, Jeff Long, safety commissioner, and David Gerregano, commissioner of revenue in Tennessee
David Tulis of Eagle Radio Network in front of the U.S. district court in Nashville on Dec. 30 after filing for injunctive relief.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 — Two top officials in the Gov. Bill Lee administration have declined to answer accusations in lawsuits accusing them of running an extortion racket in service of insurance companies.
David Gerregano, commissioner revenue, and Jeff Long, commissioner of safety, are being sued over their handling of the Tennessee financial responsibility law of 1977 that state officials say imposes a mandatory insurance requirement on every automobile owner and driver.
They are under suit by David Tulis, an investigative journalist at Eagle Radio Network in Chattanooga. He says the two men are running a shakedown of the public and revoking tags of tens of thousands of people too poor to buy auto insurance policies.
In a Monday filing in U.S. district court, Gerregano states that the complaint should be dismissed because at 42 pages it is too long. “The complaint consists of 103 pages, including 143 paragraphs and 60 pages of exhibits. *** The complaint is needlessly verbose, repetitive, and argumentative and should be dismissed as to the state for failure to comply” with the federal rules of civil procedure.
Tulis’ filings include a brief focusing on 26 abrogations of law. “They are forcing people to buy insurance they cannot afford to obtain policies that are not certified,” Tulis says. The suit says the only people who have to buy coverage are those who agree to buy coverage as a condition of getting back their license and tag after suspension.
“They have no answer on the merits of my claim. Saying it’s too long is a joke. That’s like an adulterer caught in flagrante delicto saying you forgot to knock. Your boots are muddy. That shows Mr. Gerregano is running an industrial-scale racket to guarantee profits to insurance companies. They use traffic stops and jackboots to get business. Two billion a year extra in premiums.”
Tulis on Nov. 1, 2024, filed suit against Gerregano and Long in Hamilton County chancery court, requesting that the Tennessee Supreme Court create a special three-judge panel to hear the case.
“Mr. Long and Mr. Gerregano are so indifferent to the law that they refuse to answer the complaint,” Tulis says, “though the rules give them a full 30 days to file a response.” Fifty-three days after they were served, Tulis filed a motion for default in McMinn County chancery court.
“We are under occupation,” says the reporter known for his signature bow tie. “They hold us in contempt. They admit to operating an oppressive fraud generating an average 40,800 criminal convictions a year. They can’t deny it.” Tulis says he represents 7 million Tennesseans in a “ministry of mercy and combat to protect the poor in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who forbids abuse of the poor, of widows and orphans, aliens and strangers.”
David runs a personal nonprofit fighting and mercy ministry. He thanks you for checks sent directly to c/o 10520 Brickhill Lane, Soddy-Daisy, TN 37379. Also, in GiveSendGo
